KR20080047049A - Surface processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A surface processing apparatus is provided to reduce an inflow of pollutant around the process region of a plasma module and to improve process efficiency and process stability. A surface processing apparatus(1) comprises a plasma module(10), a transfer unit(80), and a shutoff unit(100). The plasma module forms plasma and injects it to the downside. The transfer unit is disposed below the plasma module to transfer a target(210). The shutoff unit is disposed on a side of the plasma module to shut off air flowing in a space between the plasma module and transfer unit, and comprises a first shutoff unit(110) injecting a first gas to the downside of the plasma module, and a second shutoff unit(120) installed between the first shutoff unit and plasma module to discharge a second gas to the space between the plasma module and transfer unit. The plasma module and shutoff unit can be integrally manufactured and detachable from each other.

Description

Surface Treatment Equipment {SURFACE PROCESSING APPARATUS}

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the surface treatment failure of the object generated in the conventional atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus.

Figure 3a is a plan view of a surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 3b is a plan view showing another embodiment of a surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the blocking unit provided in the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface treatment state of an object formed using the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

<Description of the reference numerals for the main parts of the drawings>

  1: Surface treatment apparatus 10: Plasma module

 20 gas supply unit 30 electrode unit

 40: injection part 50: treatment area

 60: first region 70: second region

 80: moving unit 100: blocking unit

110: first blocking portion 120: second blocking portion

210: object 250: organic matter

The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus capable of efficiently surface treatment using plasma.

Plasma technology includes vacuum plasma technology using vacuum, high thermal plasma technology using arc discharge generating thousands of high heat, and atmospheric pressure plasma technology used at low temperature from room temperature to 200 ° C.

The vacuum plasma technology requires a chamber for vacuum, so that large-scale processing is difficult and the collision energy of the particles is large, and thus the surface of the processed material is naturally heated, and there is a disadvantage that the radical concentration is relatively small due to the low ionization ratio. Therefore, the atmospheric plasma technology has a high industrial concentration and has the advantage of high concentration of radicals and ions and the need for expensive reaction vessels.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus. An apparatus capable of generating plasma at atmospheric pressure to clean and surface-treat an object is called an atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, the atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus 501 includes a chamber 510 in which plasma is generated, and a transfer apparatus 580 for transferring a substrate to be surface treated, that is, an object 710, into the chamber 510. .

The chamber 510 sprays a gas supply port 520 for supplying a reaction gas, an electrode 530 capable of discharging the reaction gas to form a plasma, and an active atom (molecule) in which the discharge gas is activated. The gas injection port 540 is provided.

The gas supply port 520 injects reaction gas into the chamber 510. The reaction gas uses an inert gas. Depending on the surface treatment characteristics, Florin-based gas may be used.

The chamber 510 is provided with an electrode 530. When the reaction gas is supplied from the gas supply port 520, the electrode 510 may discharge the reaction gas by a high voltage applied to the electrode 530 to form a plasma.

The gas injection port 540 injects the plasma formed by the electrode 530. That is, the activated active atom (molecule) is injected.

The transfer device 580 may move the object 710 to the chamber 510 region. Thus, in order to move the object 710 to the chamber 510 region, there is a region into which the object 710 is input and a discharge region, so that the region of the chamber 510 of the atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus 501 is exposed to the atmosphere.

The transfer device 580 moves the object 710 to the chamber 510 region. Accordingly, the object 710 may be cleaned and surface treated by the plasma.

However, since the chamber 510 is exposed to the atmosphere, contaminants such as oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere may flow into the plasma discharge region (that is, the lower region of the electrode 530). The contaminants may enter the plasma discharge region to lower the plasma discharge efficiency, thereby lowering the surface treatment efficiency of the object 710.

In addition, the object 710 is surface-treated, and contaminants such as oxygen and moisture are decomposed in the surface-treated area of the object 710 and are adsorbed onto the surface of the object 710. That is, the pollutants and the like interfere with the surface treatment of the object 710.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface treatment defect of an object generated in a conventional atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus. An atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus for surface treatment of an object will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the surface of the object 710 is cleaned and surface treated using the atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus 501. An example of surface treatment using the atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus 501 will be described.

The atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus 501 may process the surface of the object 710 to have hydrophilicity or a small number of properties with respect to a specific material through surface treatment. Herein, a process of forming a pattern of the organic material 750 on the object 710 will be described.

The object 710 may be hydrophilic and hydrophobic treatment on the surface by the atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus 501. An area where the surface is hydrophobicly treated with respect to the organic material 750 is denoted as a ', and a region having hydrophilicity with respect to the organic material 750 is defined as a b' area because it is not hydrophilic or surface treated.

As such, when the organic material 750 is applied to the hydrophilic area, the organic material 750 comes into contact with the surface of the object 710. In the relatively hydrophobic area, the organic material 750 is the object 710. No contact with the surface

Accordingly, the organic material 750 may form a pattern having a predetermined shape by a region separated by a minority / hydrophilicity.

On the other hand, the c 'region is a region where the small / hydrophilic treatment failure occurs. The c 'region is a region in which an interface of a hydrophobic / hydrophilic region is formed on the surface of the object.

As shown in the region c ′, when the surface treatment defect occurs in the region separated by the small / hydrophilic treatment, the organic material 750 comes into contact with the surface of the object 710 at a predetermined contact angle. Therefore, it becomes difficult to form a predetermined pattern.

This is because the atmospheric pressure plasma device 501 is exposed to the air, and contaminants such as oxygen and moisture in the air contact the surface of the object 710 in the process of surface treatment of the object to separate the hydrophobic / hydrophilic region. This is because it hinders the contact of the surface treatment gas.

That is, pollutants such as oxygen have a more stable reaction characteristic on the surface of the object 710 than a florin-based gas used for surface treatment. The contaminants may interfere with the surface treatment by deteriorating the surface properties of the surface area to be treated with hydrophilic / hydrophilic.

Accordingly, the organic material 750 may be spread from the surface of the object 710, and it may be difficult to form a pattern in a predetermined shape.

As described above, the conventional atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus 501 causes the surface treatment efficiency of the object 710 to decrease due to pollutants in the air.

The present invention can be formed in a plurality of blocking portions that can block the contaminants around the plasma module capable of surface treatment of the object to form a treatment region capable of surface treatment of the object similar to the local vacuum state It is an object of the present invention to provide a surface treatment apparatus capable of improving the surface treatment efficiency of the object.

In addition, it is possible to minimize the outflow of gas to the outside by forming the blocking portion has another object to provide a surface treatment apparatus that can use toxic gases.

In order to achieve the above object, the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention includes a plasma module for forming a plasma and spraying in a downward direction; A moving unit disposed under the plasma module to move an object; It is disposed on the side of the plasma module includes a blocking unit for blocking the air flowing between the plasma module and the moving unit.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the surface treatment apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, those skilled in the art The present invention may be embodied in various other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the plasma module, the blocking portion is shown to be enlarged than actual for clarity of the present invention. In the present invention, when the plasma module, the blocking portion and other structures are referred to as being formed "on", "upper" or "lower", the plasma module, blocking portion and other structures are directly plasma modules, blocking portions. And formed above or below other structures, or other plasma modules, blocking units and other structures may be further formed on the surface treatment apparatus.

Figure 3a is a plan view of a surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 3b is a plan view showing another embodiment of the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and those skilled in the art can implement many other embodiments using the teachings of the present invention, and the present invention is for exemplary purposes. It is specified that it is not limited to the following embodiment.

3A, 3B, and 4, the surface treatment apparatus 1 is a device capable of forming a plasma at atmospheric pressure.

The surface treatment apparatus 1 includes a plurality of atmospheric pressure plasma forming modules 10 capable of surface treating an object 210 and a plurality of blocking pollutants such as oxygen and moisture in the peripheral region of the atmospheric pressure plasma forming module 10. It includes a blocking unit (100).

The atmospheric pressure plasma forming module 10 (hereinafter referred to as "plasma module") is a gas supply unit 20 for providing a reaction gas, and the reaction gas to discharge to form a plasma, that is, active atoms (molecules) The electrode part 30 and the injection part 40 which can inject the discharged active atom (molecule) are provided. The plasma module 10 may include a moving unit 80 that may move the object 210 to the injection unit 40.

In this case, the active atom (molecule) is injected through the injection unit 40 to define a region for the surface treatment of the object 210 as the treatment region (50).

The moving unit 80 may be formed as a conveyor or the like for moving the surface treatment object 210 such as cleaning to the plasma module 10 region. The surface treatment apparatus 1 defines a region in which the object 210 is injected into the plasma module 10 as the first region 60, and is a surface treated area in the plasma module 10 where the object 210 emerges. Is defined as the second region 70.

The blocking unit 100 may be disposed in the first region 60 and the second region 70 of the surface treatment apparatus 1, respectively. That is, the plasma module 10 may be disposed on both sides with the plasma module 10 therebetween.

The blocking unit 100 may include a first blocking unit 110 that primarily blocks contaminants outside the plasma module 10 and a density of the contaminants introduced into the processing region 50. It includes a secondary cut 120.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the blocking unit 100 may be formed around all of the plasma modules 10. Since the periphery of the plasma module 10 is exposed to the atmosphere, the pollutant may flow into the treatment region 50. Thus, the blocking unit 100 may be formed around all of the plasma modules 10 so that the processing region 50 may block all regions that may be exposed to the atmosphere.

The first blocking unit 110 may be provided with at least one first through-hole 115. The first blocking unit 110 is provided at the outermost portion of the blocking unit 100 to block contaminants such as oxygen, moisture, etc. in the outside, that is, the atmosphere.

Here, the blocking gas is provided to the first through hole 115 so as to block pollutants in the atmosphere. The blocking gas may be used as an inert gas, nitrogen gas, etc., which is difficult to react with other substances. The first through hole 115 may provide the blocking gas from the upper portion of the blocking part 100 to blow the first and second regions 60 and 70.

The second blocking unit 120 may be provided between the plasma module 10 and the first blocking unit 110, and may be formed of contaminants present in the treatment region 50 of the plasma module 10. The density is reduced.

The second blocking unit 120 reduces the density of contaminants introduced into the treatment region 50 by using a vacuum. That is, since the treatment region 50 is a region where the object 210 is surface treated, when the pollutant is introduced, poor surface treatment of the object 210 may occur.

Therefore, the second blocking unit 120 may be locally vacuumed around the processing region 50 by using a vacuum. That is, the second blocking unit 120 reduces the density of the contaminants in the treatment region 50 to improve the surface treatment efficiency.

As described above, the surface treatment apparatus 1 of the present invention is introduced into the vicinity of the treatment region 50 of the plasma module 10 by using the blocking part 100 provided around the plasma module 10. By reducing the contaminants, it is possible to maximize the surface treatment efficiency and stability of the object 210.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a blocking unit provided in the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention. The surface treatment apparatus refers to FIGS. 3A, 3B and 4, and overlapping components will be briefly described or omitted.

The surface treatment apparatus 1 is a device for surface treatment of the object 210 in the atmosphere. By the way, when surface treatment of the object 210, contaminants such as oxygen, moisture, etc. in the air may be an obstacle to treating the surface of the object 210. Therefore, when surface treatment of the object 210, it is preferable to reduce the contaminants around the object 210.

Referring to FIG. 5, the surface treatment apparatus 1 includes a plasma module 10 capable of generating plasma at atmospheric pressure, and a blocking unit 100 having a plurality of holes between the plasma module 10. Include. The plasma module 10 and the blocking unit 100 may be integrally formed, or may be formed as units separated from each other.

Since the surface treatment apparatus 1 performs the surface treatment of the object 210 at normal pressure, the first blocking part 110 is exposed to the air in the direction in which the object 210 is input and discharged. . Therefore, the first blocking unit 110 is preferably disposed in the direction in which the object 210 is introduced and discharged, respectively.

The blocking unit 100 may be disposed in the first region 60 into which the object 210 is inserted and the second region 70 through which the object 210 is discharged with the plasma module 10 interposed therebetween. have. Alternatively, a plurality of blocking units 100 may be provided in areas where the plasma module 10 is exposed to the air. Here, an embodiment will be described in which blocking portions are provided in the first region 60 into which the object 210 is input and the second region 70 through which the object 70 is discharged.

The blocking unit 100 may include a first blocking unit 110 for blocking contaminants around the plasma module 10 and a second blocking unit 120 for reducing the density of contaminants in the processing region 50. It includes.

The first blocking unit 110 may be provided at the outermost portion of the blocking unit 100 and may form a single or a plurality of first through holes 115. The first blocking unit 110 may be disposed in the first region 60 and the second region 70 on both sides of the plasma module 10.

The first blocking unit 110 may blow off a blocking gas such as an inert gas or nitrogen gas to the outside of the plasma module 10 to primarily block contaminants around the plasma module 10.

In addition, the first blocking unit 110 may block the inflow of contaminants into the plasma module 10 (the processing region 50 for surface treatment of the object 210). The blocking gas provided to 110 may be blown toward the first and second regions 60 and 70.

The direction of the first through hole 115 of the first blocking unit 110 may be inclined toward the outside of the plasma module 10. The first blocking unit 110 has a lower end shape of the first through hole 115 so as to blow off the blocking gas to the outside of the plasma module 10. It can be formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle in the direction of the input / second region.

The inclined shape at the end of the first through hole 115 may be formed at an inclined angle that does not interfere with the flow of the blocking gas in order to smoothly flow the blocking gas into the first and second regions 60 and 70. Can be.

The second blocking unit 120 may reduce the density of contaminants, such as oxygen and moisture, which may flow into the processing region 50. The pollutant may be introduced into the treatment area 50 capable of treating the object 210 even though the first blocking part 110 is blocked first. Thus, the second blocking unit 120 may secondly block the contaminants introduced into the treatment region 50.

The second blocking unit 120 uses a vacuum to reduce the density of the contaminants, and allows the processing region 50 to be locally similar to the vacuum state.

The second blocking unit 120 may be disposed between the first blocking unit and the plasma module, and like the first blocking unit 110, the first region 60 and the second of the object 210 may be disposed. It can be arrange | positioned in the area | region 70, respectively.

The second blocking portion 120 may be formed of a plurality of second through holes 125, and at least two or more of the second through holes 125 around the treatment area 50 to improve vacuum efficiency. It can be formed as.

In addition, the second through hole 125 of the second blocking part 120 has the second through hole toward the treatment area 50 in order to improve the efficiency of reducing the density of the pollutant in the treatment area 50. The lower end of the 125 may be formed in a shape inclined at a predetermined angle.

As such, the blocking unit 100 of the surface treatment apparatus 1 according to the present invention locally vacuums the treatment region 50, that is, the region where the surface treatment apparatus 1 processes the object 210. Formed to ensure the maximization and stability of the surface treatment efficiency of the object 210.

In addition, it is possible to minimize the outflow of gas to the outside by the blocking unit 100 can use a toxic gas.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface treatment state of an object formed using the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention. Here, the surface treatment apparatus refers to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4, and the surface treatment of the object will be described as an example of hydrophilic / hydrophobic treatment.

Referring to FIG. 6, by using the blocking unit 100 provided around the plasma module 10, it is possible to reduce contaminants introduced into the processing area 50 of the plasma module 10. . Accordingly, the surface of the object 210 is stably hydrophilic / hydrophobic to the organic material 250 by the surface treatment apparatus 1 capable of maximizing surface treatment efficiency and stability of the object 210. can do.

An embodiment in which the organic material 250 pattern is formed on the object 210 will be described. A surface treatment having hydrophobic / hydrophilic characteristics may be performed on the organic material 250 by using a florin-based gas on the object 210.

In order to easily form the shape of the pattern, a surface treatment having a hydrophilic characteristic is performed on the organic material 250 in a region where the pattern is formed, and a hydrophobic characteristic on the organic material 250 in a region where the pattern is not formed. Surface treatment.

In the object 210, a hydrophobized region of the organic material 250 is represented by a, and a hydrophilic region is represented by b.

The region a is hydrophobized with respect to the organic material 250 so that the organic material 250 has a characteristic that a contact angle is not formed in the region a.

On the other hand, the b region is hydrophilized with respect to the organic material 250 to exhibit a characteristic of contacting at a predetermined contact angle.

As such, the organic material 250 may have an approximately vertical contact angle at an interface divided into hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties due to the separated region. Therefore, when forming a pattern using the organic material 250, it is possible to stably form a pattern having a predetermined shape.

As such, the blocking unit 100 of the surface treatment apparatus 1 according to the present invention locally vacuums the treatment region 50, that is, the region where the surface treatment apparatus 1 processes the object 210. Formed to form a reliable pattern as it can ensure the maximization and stability of the surface treatment efficiency of the object 210.

In addition, the surface treatment apparatus 1 may reduce contaminants introduced into the treatment area 50 of the plasma module 10 by using the blocking part 100 provided around the plasma module 10. It can be used to poison the reaction gases.

Those skilled in the art through the above description will be capable of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As described above, the blocking portion of the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention forms a treatment region, that is, a region in which the surface treatment apparatus treats the object in a vacuum-like state, to maximize the surface treatment efficiency of the object and ensure stability. In addition, it becomes possible to form a reliable pattern on the surface-treated object.

In addition, the surface treatment apparatus has an advantage that it is possible to use toxic gas because it is possible to reduce the contaminants flowing in and out around the treatment area of the plasma module by using a blocking unit provided around the plasma module.

Claims (14)

Plasma module for forming a plasma and spraying in the downward direction; A moving unit disposed under the plasma module to move an object; It is disposed on the side of the plasma module surface treatment apparatus including a blocker for blocking the air flowing between the plasma module and the moving unit. The method of claim 1, Surface treatment apparatus characterized in that the plasma module and the blocking unit is formed integrally. The method of claim 1, Surface treatment apparatus characterized in that the plasma module and the blocking unit is removable. The method of claim 1, The blocking unit is provided on both sides of the plasma module corresponding surface treatment apparatus. The method of claim 1, The blocking unit is a surface treatment apparatus, characterized in that provided on all sides of the plasma module. The method of claim 1, The blocking part A first blocking portion which injects a first gas in a downward direction of the plasma module; And a second blocking part provided between the first blocking part and the plasma module to discharge a second gas between the plasma module and the moving part. The method of claim 6, The first gas is a surface treatment apparatus, characterized in that any one of an inert gas, nitrogen gas. The method of claim 6, And the second gas is a contaminant remaining during the object treatment. The method of claim 6, And the first blocking portion has at least one first through hole. The method of claim 9, A lower end portion of the first through hole has a surface inclined at a predetermined angle. The method of claim 10, The shape of the first through hole is a surface treatment apparatus, characterized in that formed inclined outwardly from the lower direction of the first through hole. The method of claim 6, And the second blocking portion comprises at least one second through hole. The method of claim 12, And a lower end portion of the second through hole has a shape inclined at a predetermined angle. The method of claim 13, And the shape of the second through hole is inclined to an object surface treatment region formed between the plasma module and the moving part in a lower direction of the second through hole.

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